All 13 fifth grade Juniors Of Orchard Knob Girl Scouts Troop 40182 of the Seminole Area completed their Bronze Award which is the highest honor for 5th Grade Juniors in Girl Scouts.

They selected Pet Placement Center, which is a non-profit, no kill pet adoption agency. The girls taught pet awareness and the importance of adoption. They completed a combined total of 280 hours, also collected over 600 items for the Pet Center.

The scouts washed walls, windows, swept floors at the center, also pampered the pets at the Placement Center.

Items that were donated to the Pet Center were collected from family, friends other Girl Scouts, local organizations and employers. The Scouts went a step further and hosted a Pet Parade to bring awareness to the Pet Placement Center and to the many pets that need to be adopted into good homes.

Area Special Olympics athletes will be competing in a basketball tournament on Friday, Feb. 23, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the UTC Roundhouse. Area 4 Special Olympic athletes includes those in Bledsoe, Bradley, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Marion, McMinn, Polk, Rhea and Sequatchie counties. Special Olympics Tennessee has helped thousands of children and ... (click for more)

The Clean Tennessee Campaign hosted a rally on Friday on the Walnut Street Bridge. The “Let’s Not Make Chattanooga Dirty” again rally called on the community and senators for clean air for the city. Organizers said this can be done by protecting vehicle emission standards and the Environmental Protection Agency. (click for more)

One person was killed Saturday morning on Ochs Highway. Another person in the same vehicle was taken to the hospital. An 18-wheeler was coming down the mountain, and hit three cars traveling up the mountain. Ochs Highway was closed in both directions, and HAZMAT crews were at the scene. The wreck happened at mid-morning. (click for more)

A home was destroyed by fire early Saturday morning in Hixson. Around 2:30 a.m. , the Dallas Bay Volunteer Fire Department responded to a possible house fire at 904 Wesley Drive in Hixson. When the first unit arrived on the scene, they reported the second floor of the home was completely engulfed with fire. Firefighters conducted a defensive ... (click for more)

All politics aside, the recent shooting in Florida, and every other shooting in a public place, is a senseless and, possibly, preventable tragedy. It is absurd that we can’t gather in a free society without the fear of some nut job or terrorist using us as targets. And then the cries of “do something!” from every quarter. But, other than the obvious attempt by agenda-pushers ... (click for more)

On Friday morning, this after a crazed human being killed 17 innocent children and adults at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday, I sat in a room with Sheriff Jim Hammond and members of his command staff and asked what everyone us want to know: “What do we do?” Gino Bennett, the sage guiding force, sat beside me and he told the room, “The time to ‘prevent’ is over ... (click for more)